This week, the sixth edition of Kilby Block Party takes over the great city of Salt Lake City, Utah for their annual gathering of the greatest indie and alternative acts under the sun. The festival, which started as a celebration of long-standing SLC venue Kilby Court has quickly grown into a premier destination for indie music fans, with the festival levelling up every year in prestige. This year’s headliners over the four-day event include New Order, Beach House, Weezer, and Justice, providing a welcome salve from the festival landscape where seemingly every headliner is recycled over and over again. Even with a thrilling top card, Kilby’s strength lies in its incredible cohesiveness in the belly of the lineup – there is so much to love on this lineup, whether its mid-2000s acts reuniting with the same fire from their heyday (Rilo Kiley, TV on the Radio), beloved indie stalwarts (Tennis, St. Vincent) or a coronation of the new royalty in indie music (Geese, Being Dead). Read on for some acts that we cannot wait to catch at this year’s edition of Kilby Block Party –
Future Islands
Where: Thursday, Kilby Stage @ 6:25
For Fans Of: Euphoric Dance Parties, Incredible Showmanship
Can you believe that Future Islands’ star-bursting performance on The Late Show with David Letterman was eleven years ago?! Since then, the Baltimore synth-rockers have become one of the more consistent presences in music, levelling up each year in venue capacities with their dynamic live performances. Frontman Samuel T. Herring is regarded as one of the most physical and entertaining bandleaders in modern indie rock, and the opportunity to see Future Islands (on a victory lap celebrating their 2024 album People Who Aren’t There Anymore) in a giant general admission field should give fans the opportunity to dance like there’s no tomorrow as we welcome in the festival on Thursday.
Being Dead
Where: Friday, Kilby Stage @ 12:15
For Fans Of: Angular Post Punk, Lyrics That Make You Do A Double Take
Austin’s Being Dead released one of the greater albums of last year with Eels, where the duo of Falcon Bitch and Shmoofy broadcast their infectious, upbeat sound to the masses. This isn’t a band that’s afraid to have fun with itself – their live show is similarly rambunctious with a bulked up four-piece band swapping instruments and bringing their surreal improvisations to the festival stage. It’s bright and early, but Being Dead is destined for later festival slots in the near future – make sure you’re able to say that you saw them early on.
Hey, Nothing
Where: Friday, Mountain Stage @ 4:50
For Fans Of: A Brief Cry On The Festival Grounds, Sibling Telepathy
You’ve probably seen Hey, Nothing online, where the band garnered near instantaneous critical acclaim as their song “Maine” went viral in 2024. The Atlanta duo of Tyler Mabry and Harlow Phillips have been touring nonstop in 2025, racking up fans from coast-to-coast with their sibling-like telepathy and an entertaining live show that allows listeners to feel the emotional heft of their music. Kick back in the arena bowl of the Mountain Stage and have a cry if you need it – Stereogum called them the “tweemo Big Thief”, and it’s an apt comparison for a band that should see a similar rise in 2024.
Friko
Where: Saturday, Lake Stage @ 12:50
For Fans Of: 2004-Era Indie, Cathartic Sing-Alongs
Bright Eyes, Funeral-era Arcade Fire, Japandroids, Cymbals Eat Guitars. If any of these bands mean anything to you, you cannot miss Chicago’s Friko early on Saturday. Last year’s Where we’ve been, Where we go from here was a consensus “music writer’s AOTY” – I spun it last year like no other album, screaming the lyrics in my car alongside the wall of sound concocted by the duo of Niko Kapetan and Bailey Minzenberger. This band rules and calls back to the era of indie music that so many artists try to mine for influences, but Friko is most adept weaving and bobbing through touchstones that make their music an incredible collage of the songs you loved when you were younger. This is the shot in the arm you’ll need to wake up on Saturday morning.
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
Where: Sunday, Kilby Stage @ 3:00
For Fans Of: Teenage Nostalgia, Fuzzy Guitars
They’re back from the dead! The NYC power-pop Pains reunited this year for a string of dates celebrating their timeless self-titled debut, and early returns show that their sound is just as affecting and powerful as it was in 2011. That first Pains record is one that I guarantee is rattling in your head even if you feel unfamiliar with the band – songs like “Young Adult Friction” and “A Teenager In Love” were meant to echo over festival fields, and this is a set we’re super excited to dive in and dance along to.
Geese
Where: Sunday, Desert Stage @ 7:50
For Fans Of: The Next Big Thing in Indie, Chaotic Art-Rock
This is easily the toughest conflict of the weekend, which is why this band warrants inclusion in our Ones To Watch Feature. Whoever put them up against the newly-reunited TV On The Radio is choosing violence on the average festival-goer – but, painfully, Geese is not a live band that you can miss right now. 2023’s 3D Country opened up a new lane from the band beyond their 2000s NYC-indie roots – it expanded their sound where everything is thrown at the wall and somehow seamlessly sticking, all anchored by the powerful voice of frontman Cameron Winter (who is finding his own acclaim for this year’s Heavy Metal). This is probably the next big band in indie music, and their set at KBP will serve as a coronation of sorts as they close out the Desert Stage on Sunday.
To learn more about Kilby Block Party visit their website – and stay tuned for our festival coverage over the weekend featuring set recaps and portrait sessions with select acts.
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